Forces
by Mini-true
Summary: A story following Fang and Vanille's lives in the village of Oerba, set 500 or so years prior to the events of FFXIII. It's a yuri fic, featuring FangxVanille. Also a few OC characters scattered around here and there. Rated M for the last chapter.
1. Chapter One: Calycanthus

**A/N:** So, yeah, this is basically set 500 or so years before the story of XIII. If you haven't gotten to the point where Vanille is reuinited with Fang, I guess there will be some spoilers here and there, because I've tried to base my writing on facts I've read about Fang and Vanille's history. Of course, it will contain yuri, so if you're not a fan of that the later chapters probably won't be for you. -- saying that probably gives you a hint that I'll be writing quite a few chapters to this, so please bare with me :3. (Also, I think the way I've wrote this one is a bit different to how I usually write, so hopefully it's better LOL). There are a few OC characters lying about, here and there, but they won't be too integral to future narratives. I only created them so that the village of Oerba would see more 'organic'.

Of course, reviews, good **and **bad, are always welcome; but I hope y'all enjoy my story.

* * *

**1  
**_Calycanthus_

"Just make sure you don't wander off into—"

Before the spiky haired matron had gotten the chance to finish her sentence, a flurry of golden feathers had come tearing through the rocky path, with an enormous cloud of dust following closely behind it.

The matron -- with a bright assortment of beads threaded through her thick blonde curls -- had been watching over Vanille, as she picked flowers from the road's side. Never in her life had Vanille seen such bright hues of pink, and no matter how hard they tried to cultivate a similar variety in the orphanage's garden, their colour would never be as amazing as the ones growing in the wild brush. Usually, there would be a vast array of pink, yellow and blue petals scattered across the road's side come Vanille's birthday, but this year there had been a prolonged winter, and most of the wild life seemed as though it was developing a few months later than usual.

"Is that Yun Fang?" Matron asked, vaguely, as she watched the crazed bird hop down the runway. She noticed the bird was flapping its large wings about its sides furiously, as though it had been attempting to catch flight. Luckily, for the black-haired figure straddling its back, the chocobo's wings were small in relation to its wide stomach.

Vanille gasped, as Matron pushed her gently into the safety of the brush, overlooking the road. She watched with a mixture of curiosity and excitement, as the over-sized bird galloped past them in a flash of frenzied feathers. Its big brown eyes had locked onto a target of elderly men, fishing by the river's edge. Peacefully, they smoked their thick cigars, discussed the oddity of the prolonged winter, and watched over the translucent waters below their rods. They were _perfect _victims.

The village elder, Yun Barthelous, immerged from his metal shack, as the chocobo stamped its feet at the anglers. Squawking _Kwehh _loudly, the pest managed to chase them back towards the safety of their nearby residence, scaring them all within an inch of their lives. Vanille and Matron watched in amusement, as Barthelous pulled out his bright red spear and nicked the chocobo's beak with its blunt end. The chocobo hopped up in surprise, and then flapped its wings about in a random fashion, staggered by the thumping pain now stretching across the entirety of its head.

"Get down from there, right this instant!" Barthelous ordered, pointing his stick directly at Fang's chin. Even riding the chocobo, Fang was no match for the elder's superior strength and height. Vanille chuckled to herself, as she watched the events unfold.

Barthelous was a tall and muscular man. He was one of the strongest men in Oerba, despite his mature age. During his younger years, it had been rumoured that he had once defeated a Greater Behemoth by himself, although Fang, personally, questioned whether there was any truth to that tale. She and the elder shared a love hate relationship, and despite their constant and renowned arguments, Berthelous secretly looked to Fang as the daughter he had lost to Cocoon's fal'Cie, many years previously. During Fang's earlier years, back when she was barely even a teenager, the elder had been the one to help quench her curiosity for the surrounding wilderness of Gran Pulse, by allowing her to explore it with him. He had been the one to teach her how to swing a lance effectively, protect herself against damning blows and exploit enemy weaknesses using destructive magic.

Fang was only seventeen, but he had already passed most of his knowledge down to her. All that was left, he often thought to himself as she continued to cause havoc for the people of Oerba, was for her to inherit his wisdom.

Admitting defeat, the rebellious teen jumped down from the feathery fiend's back. Taking his opportunity, Barthelous waved his spear around in the air, hissed, and chased the creature back up the road it had come from.

Vanille flew back into the brush, as the chocobo galloped back up the path. Apologetically, Matron held out a hand to help the tiny redhead to her feet.

"You need to stop this kind of behaviour Fang," the matron warned, pointing directly at Fang, "Before someone gets seriously injured, or worst." To her, Fang was still the rebellious eleven-year-old who had refused to do her chores around the orphanage.

Fang sighed and then shrugged apprehensively, digging her open toed boots into the soil beneath her. Staring at the floor, she noticed a pulverised pile of red flowers, embedded in the soil, beneath one of the chocobo's giant claw-prints.

"Oh no," Vanille whimpered, "my flowers!" She ran to the beaten petals and scooped them up into the palm of her hand, pitifully.

"It's okay," Matron said, gently rubbing Vanille's back reassuringly, "there's plenty up the pa—" her voice trailed off as soon as she realised there were no more pink petals left poking through the bright green bracken.

It was silly, but every year on her birthday, since she had lived at the orphanage, Vanille and Matron had gone up to the front of the village, where the rare flowers grew, and picked them. After they had enough of the pink petals, they would put the selection inside of a vase and place it in the kitchen window, above the giant sink. Even though she was turning fifteen that year, the angelic redhead still craved the sentiment. Just the smell of them warmed her soul, and helped her to carry on smiling, even through the darkness inside of herself that scared her so.

Even though Vanille and Fang had both grown into two remarkably beautiful teenagers, they both seemed exactly how the matron remembered, back all those years ago, when Vanille was first taken into the orphanage's care.

Matron could remember -- Fang and Shinra, one of the boys her age, had been wrestling in the garden when Matron had arrived with the tiny Vanille running far ahead of her.

"Please don't fight!" Vanille had said to the pair, stamping her feet in protest. She had thrown the stuffed moomba she had been carrying at them, but it had only seemed to encourage their fight. Even back then, aged only ten, Vanille had known how to make people feel at ease; or at least, she had known how to _try_.

Matron could not remember exactly why they had been fighting that time, but she was sure it was nothing of any great importance. They would find the pettiest of things to fight over, Matron recalled, often injuring each other over the most mundane of disputes. If Shinra had slightly more food than Fang, she would reach over and pull him violently by his ear. Similarly, if Matron allowed Fang one minute extra with the sheep, Shinra would pull her hair.

They had both looked up in surprise at the unfamiliarly high voice shouting at them to stop.

"Stupid idiot stole my chocobo," Shinra had screamed, kicking the girl one last time before he had made an effort to stop the fight. Fang, of course, had retaliated with a swift jab to his ribs, which had left him winded for a few seconds.

"Please, stop with the constant fighting and name calling," Matron had spoke with a soft tone, in the hope that it would calm them down.

Fang had fallen silent the moment she had caught a glimpse of the new girl. Matron did not know exactly why Fang had been so transfixed by Vanille's arrival, but after watching their relationship unfold over the passing years, she had soon come to realise that they were just two strong forces, obviously attracted to each other through some divine force.

"I'm sorry," Fang rasped with guilt, "I was only—"

Vanille closed her eyes and smiled, although Fang was sure she had seen a slight sigh escape her mouth.

"It's fine Fang, I'm sure we can just use some flowers from the orphanage's garden instead." Vanille spoke with an optimistically high tone, although something about it did not seem genuine to Fang.

Desperately, Fang tried to think back to where she had seen a marvellous array of ferocious crimson buds, growing somewhere outside of the village.

*

Almost as soon as she had re-entered the village through the enormous steel gates protecting its rear, where wild fal'Cie often attacked from, Fang could smell the rich aroma of hickory woodchips burning against the flesh of a sweet salmon. She suspected a majority of the villagers would already be gathering around the barbeque set up in the middle of the village, waiting with their pink – pink because that was Vanille's favourite colour and no one dared to be any different – presents in their hands.

Fang dared to be different, that was why most of the villagers found her to be an annoyance; and that was why Vanille found her to be so interesting. Although Vanille had become good at pleasing everyone, Fang knew the truth. She found particular people annoying, just as anyone else did. That was the biggest difference between them, Fang always trusted her initial impressions; whereas Vanille liked to see the best in people, regardless of the way they treated her.

"Vanille," Fang shouted, as she crashed through the orphanage's large glass doors, with a handful of dripping wet stems, "Vanille?" She repeated, this time raising her voice and heading into the living room. Her voice always rasped and sounded as though she was exhausted.

"She isn't here," Shinra said, sliding down the stairs leading from the dwellings upstairs. "Last time I saw her she was with Gramps."

He had grown into quite the hunter, just like Fang. Instead of opting to fight her for an extra slice of carrot, as he had done in the past, he chose to irritate her with constant pranks and continued immaturity, now that they were older. Occasionally he would even take to flirting with Vanille, though she was unsure of whether he did that on purpose, to annoy her, or whether he was just a failed attempt at being the village's Casanova.

"Where is she?" Fang retorted, with a snap.

Shinra eyed the red flowers hanging loosely through Fang's grasp, raising an eyebrow with suspicion.

"Are those for Vanille?" He asked, edging closer. Fang knew he was about to attempt to snatch them from her.

"Get lost," Fang snapped, "and don't bother trying to snatch 'em off me, I saw you coming the second you moved."

She spun on her heel and stormed back out of the building, holding the fiery-red flowers up to her chest. Hearing the air whoosh past her ear, Fang felt the numbing pain of a wooden slab whack her around her temple. The wooden slab had hit her with such a force; it pushed her completely off balance. Unable to gain control of the situation, Fang's body doubled over.

"I can't wait to see the smile on Vanille's face once I give her these!" Shinra mocked as he scooped the flowers out from Fang's open hand and jogged off through the wide open doors.

She mumbled under her breath as she struggled to fight the creeping darkness trying to force her into a brief state of unconsciousness. Knowing she was strong enough to fight and defeat its tempting offer, she scraped herself up from the floor and stumbled outside; the side of her head throbbing intensely with pain.

"Oi!" Fang rasped, her voice not projecting across the village to where she could see Vanille and Shinra standing. She stumbled towards them, nevertheless, forcing herself to stand up against the pain gnawing away at her brain.

"Thank you," Vanille beamed, as she accepted the flowers from the boy's sweaty grasp. She felt uncomfortable around Shinra, mainly because of the way he had seemed to gawk down at her, ever since she had turned thirteen.

Vanille looked past the tall blonde-haired boy, and towards Fang who was stumbling towards them with her fists clenched angrily. She knew the boy had not picked them himself, almost as soon as he had presented her with them, which had only left her with one question left in her mind: who did pick them?

_Fang_, Vanille said under her breath, her smile softening.

Fang stood up straight and scratched her head, noticing Vanille was watching her with her _real _smile across her lips. After years of observation, she had finally begun to see that when she was genuinely happy, the corners of her mouth would lift up even higher, and her emerald green eyes would shine even brighter.

Vanille pushed past Shinra and rushed to the injured girl's side. Shinra was obviously disappointed by her seeing through him, or else he would not have thrown the flowers into the gently swaying current of the nearby river.

"Are you okay?" Vanille asked, as she wrapped her arm around Fang's waist, to help her stand easier.

Fang groaned a little, and then reached into the inside of her blue sari for something. Feeling as though she should look away, the younger redhead turned her head around in embarrassment.

"I kept one here," Fang said, "before that swine whacked me over the head."


	2. Chapter Two: Dreamer

**2  
**_Dreamer_

Vanille felt as though she was floating above the realms of reality, as she slowly approached the edge of the pier. Her movements felt vague as she dragged her numb limbs forward in a walking motion, desperately thrusting herself down the concrete paved bridge. Overwhelmed by fear as soon as she caught sight of Fang's bright blue sari hanging over the bridge's ledge, she started to run towards the tall black haired figure further down the way. No matter how fast she thought she was running the world around her did not seem to move.

"Vanille..." Fang's faint voice seemed to be whispering to her through the wind. Reluctantly, the younger girl stopped her running so that she could catch her breath.

"Fang?" Vanille shouted, though her panting prevented her voice from projecting further enough to reach the figure further down the pier. Almost as though she had appeared from out of nowhere, a hand gently rested upon Vanille's shoulder from behind. At first the contact had startled her, but as soon as she had turned to realise it was Fang stood behind her, she had felt at ease.

"Vanille," Fang's voice seemed to echo through Vanille's head, "What are you doing?" The hand resting on her shoulder slowly moved upwards towards her flushed red face. The girls' breathing heightened with intensity, each time Fang would raise her hand and move it further up Vanille's face.

Her cold hand was now caressing Vanille's bright crimson cheeks, burning red with anticipation. She could not draw her eyes away from Fang's moist pink lips, speaking to her to kiss her. The way her heart rattled away at the inside of her rib cage, the ice-cold pang to the pit of her stomach, and the way her gullet had tightened to the point where she could barely swallow; they were all foreign feelings. They had seemed to manifest themselves in only the past couple of years, but the more Vanille looked inside of herself the more she realised those feelings had always been there; they had been laying there dormant since the moment she had first met Fang.

"What is this?" Vanille whispered shyly, with tears welling up in the inside of her bright emerald eyes.

"What is what?" Fang asked, her voice still echoing inside of her consciousness, "Vanille?"

For a moment, Vanille felt as though Fang was about to brush her face up against her own. Her body was almost begging for her commanding touch, but she never gave it to her. Instead, Vanille found herself awoken by elder Barthelous' grating voice.

"Vanille?" Barthelous repeated, nudging the rousing girl slightly with his foot.

For the past two days, Vanille had awoken to the damp and musty smell of Archylte Steppe's wilderness. For years, she had wondered what the wilderness outside of Oerba was like; but now that she was there, she realised why Fang had been so eager to hide it from her. If she glanced at the wildlife, Vanille would conclude Archylte Steppe was a beautiful place, but if she was to look a little deeper, to the Gorgonopsid savagely tearing a Flan apart, she would realise it was a place of great darkness. She drew inspiration from the cruelty; it granted her the inspiration to protect her family.

"I'm awake," Vanille said faintly, as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Judging on the grey darkness still clinging to the sky, from the night before, she concluded that it could not be any earlier than 5am.

"Good," Barthelous growled impatiently, "then perhaps we can move onwards without getting mauled by the charming wildlife."

Fang grinned as the old man snapped. She knew that he was not comfortable with Vanille tagging along; even she had not felt comfortable with it at first. Both hunters were worried for the less experienced addition, but Fang knew she would be safe. On countless occasions, Fang had found herself astounded by Vanille's strength and determination. Fang would tear the world apart; destroy everything, just to keep the younger girl safe; but even that was not enough to stop Vanille from doing something. It had been at her persistence that Fang had finally caved in and agreed for her to come.

"What's for breakfast?" Vanille chirped, suddenly awake and beaming bright, as she always did. Her voice has rasped from the light sleep.

"Nothing," Barthelous snapped, snatching his spear from the ground so that he could extinguish the fire. Suddenly becoming aware of the saddened expression across Vanille's cute, innocent face, Barthelous threw her his satchel, "Luckily I packed extra, though I don't know where you put it all." He added, indicating to how thin she looked despite the amount of food she seemed to consume.

Fang could not help but find the way Vanille routed through Barthelous' satchel adorable. Almost as though it had been her stocking hanging over the orphanage's fireplace at Christmas, she excitedly delved right down to the bottom of the sack. Finally, she pulled out a bright red apple.

"Hey," Fang snatched the apple from the younger girl, just as she was about to take a bit of its ripe flesh, "that one's mine." She spitefully ripped out a section of the sweet fruit, but the disheartened look on Vanille's face instantly forced her to regret it.

Barthelous rolled his eyes as the girls argued over the apple. He wondered, for a moment, what might have happened if he was not there to regulate their constant frolicking. Perhaps, he thought to himself as he finished burying the burnt out fire, he should not think about what they would do _with_ each other if he were not there. Although he found himself invigorated by their youth, he also found himself isolated by it. Their carelessness reminded him of how he had been, many years ago.

Vanille stared down to the half-eaten apple in her hands, unsure of whether or not she should finish it off. Shrugging, she bit into the still juicy core and skipped along to catch up with Barthelous.

*

After discovering a bear's paw prints in the sticky mud, Barthelous had ran off ahead to track them. Fang, having decided that the elder would be able to determine its location easily by himself, tagged behind with Vanille. Both girls could not help but find themselves entranced by the ways he would crouch, stick his hand in the mud, and appear to place his head only inches apart from the ground. Sometimes, as he examined the prints for indications as to how long ago the bear in question had passed through that particular area, it would appear as though he would edge a tad too close and end up with the sticky tar on his face. Much to their disappointment, it never seemed to happen, no matter how close he seemed to go.

"I never realised how much you talk in your sleep," Fang teased the younger girl, turning around so that she was walking with her back towards the direction they were walking.

"I do?" Vanille bleated slightly, afraid of what Fang might have heard her say during her sleep.

"All I heard all night was 'Fang', 'Fang I love you', 'Fang I want--'" Her teasing was met with a swift, but gentle, prod to her ribs.

"You aren't funny." Vanille pouted and then stormed off further ahead.

Unsure of whether she had genuinely caused the redhead offense, Fang jogged along to catch up with her. A devious grin crept across her face as she watched the way Vanille's shoulders gyrated in the same motion her hips did, as she walked ahead. She always admired the younger girl's demeanour, even if it was something she tended to do subconsciously.

"Okay," Fang waved her hands up in the air to gesture her defeat, "you only called my name out once."

Vanille rolled her eyes, as a laugh crept from her lips. She had not wanted to find it funny, but the cheeky smile fixated across her face melted down all of her barriers. Somewhere deep within her heart, she knew Fang had known she had dreamt of her that night. Fang knew how Vanille felt. Despite wanting to tell her older friend everything about the feelings she had begun to develop since her fifteenth birthday, Vanille knew she did not have to. Sometimes, she wondered if they somehow spoke to each other, without even having to communicate with one another.

Barthelous detected his bright red spear from his thick belt and looked towards the small cave to his right. He was confused, there were tracks leading into the cave, but they seemed to be from a different date to the ones he had discovered along the pathway. Perplexed by his discovery, he stared into the narrow and darkened cave for a few moments; he was wondering how he had managed to lose the prints he had been following. Old age, he sighed as he shook his head angrily, an incompetent old man.

"Gramps?" Fang asked, concerned by the puzzled expression across his face. In the years she had spent with him hunting, she had never seen him so frustrated by a bear's tracks.

"It appears I have lost the track of the bear we have been following for the past few days." He sighed, rubbing his aching face with the clean part of his wrists.

"Maybe that's his home," Fang nodded her head towards the small cave, "I'll go in."

Barthelous thrust his spear in front of Fang to block her path, knowing it was not a good idea to venture in alone, especially if it was the bear's habitat. "No, we should both go in and check." He set down his satchel and nodded towards Vanille, indicating that she prepare herself, "you wait here Vanille, and keep an eye out for the bear. If you see anything, shout for assistance."

The younger girl extended her binding rod and held out it before her, ready for anything that might wish to ambush her. She was afraid, but she was more worried for Fang and Barthelous' safety inside the cave. For all they knew, the bear might have been trying to sleep inside of there. She did not know anything about hunting, but she knew an irritable bear would not be the easiest of opponents.

With her blunt wooden staff thrust out before her, to brush away the thick and deadly webs probably spun by some enormous spider, Fang edged into the narrow cave. From the echoed sound of water dripping onto a surface of more water, it sounded as though they were entering a cave filled with a lake of some sort. Immediately, Barthelous knew they had wandered into a cave not likely to house a bear.

"We should turn around," Barthelous suggested, his voice echoing around the damp cave, "This is obviously not where the bear went." Almost as soon as he had spoken, Vanille's alarming scream emanated across the cave's walls. Fang's immediate and only concern was that the younger girl was safe.

Using her binding rod as poor cover, the redhead had found herself cornered by a frustrated black bear. Paralysed by her fear, Vanille watched as the giant bear stepped up onto its two back paws and thrust its head wildly into the air. She imagined it would tear her into two clean pieces with just one swipe of its sharp steel claws. Although her first instinct had been to scream for Fang's help, something seemed to activate its self within her consciousness.

Fang's mouth gaped open, as she emerged from the cave to discover Vanille retrieving her binding rod from the bear's corpse. It had not been the biggest bear she had seen, but she was so overwhelmed by the relief washing over her like a tidal wave, the doubled over fur was completely irrelevant to her.

Vanille stumbled out from behind the corpse, with her shoulder bleeding and her stomach slashed. Barthelous immediately reached into his satchel for medical supplies, but his attentions had seemed more drawn towards the dead bear. The older girl wrapped her arms around Vanille, whose eyes were streaming with fresh tears, and pushed her face gently towards her shoulder. She held her there for a little while, only just long enough for Barthelous to get irritable.

"Well done, Vanille," the elder smirked with pride as he pulled some bright orange gum from his bag, "but we had better get moving before the mother arrives."

*

Barthelous watched carefully, with a pitcher of matured ale in one hand and a plate of bear meat in the other, as Fang carved out off an extra thick slice of bear meat for the triumphant hunter. He could not help but notice how proud she seemed, and he was sure she appeared to be prouder than she would have been if she had of been the one to catch and kill it. The looks they had shared all night, at the meal they had held to celebrate Vanille's first kill, reminded him of the way he and his wife had behaved when they had been courting.

"I was wondering," Fang said, raising an eyebrow with curiosity, "how _did _you kill it?" Vanille only grinned in response, secretly happy that she had something to boast about in the future.

Matron topped up Barthelous' drink with water, concerned for his health. She sighed as the elder met her with a disappointed glare. "Just because you're an old and stubborn man, doesn't mean you can't take care of yourself," Matron added. She found that her attentions wandered up to the couple stood beside the bear speared across the spitfire.

"How long do you think it's been?" Matron asked, vaguely. Barthelous was unsure by what she had meant at first, but it bought a bright smile to his face as soon as he had come to realise.

"Since the moment they met, I imagine," he took a sip of his watered down ale. He immediately spat it out afterwards, deciding that the faint bitterness was an acquired taste.

"—And how long did they say about your condition?" Matron asked, her tone suddenly softening. She knew that it was a hard question to answer, but it was necessary for her to know. Patiently, she awaited the elder's answer.

"Two years," he grunted, slamming his pitcher and plate down, "but I'm fighting this thing."

* * *

**A/N:** Hopefully this is up to scratch, writing wise. I've had the flu over this week (poor me D;) but I really wanted to get this chapter out of the way so I can move onto the next ones. I hope everyone enjoyed it:)


	3. Chapter Three: Family

**3  
**_Family_

With her mind still reeling over the recently transpired events, Fang thrust the bright red spear – the ornately decorated weapon Barthelous had carried about him in all the time she had known him – into the soft terrain about her boots. Gingerly, almost as if the small, rectangular, metal container she cradled in her arms was a weapon of some sort, Fang loosened the secure latch across its side. Just as Barthelous had said, as he had coughed and spluttered in his deathbed, the box opened to reveal a folded note of yellowed paper. Although she did not feel as though she had wanted to cry, for she believed that the elder was now happy, wherever the dead rested, she found herself daunted by the prospect of reading through the letter.

Bounding out from the silent clinic, Vanille fell to the older girl's side. Despite having lived her life only to ease the pain of those around her, guarding her loved ones from the darkness residing somewhere deep within her soul, the perky redhead found herself silenced by her inability to find comforting words. She was unsure if she should smile; perhaps that would have made her appear as though she was insensitive. Looking to the older girl's vacant expression did not help any, either.

Fang flinched slightly, as she suddenly became aware of the tiny redhead beside her. A warm smile danced across her lips, as soon as she had felt Vanille's soft hand sliding across the top of her wrist. Barthelous had told her, just before he had rested back into his bright blue bunk, with the blinds flapping against the wall, from the gentle whisper of the wind blowing through the slightly ajar window; "Look after your family." The petite girl gazing up at her, with her hair up in two loose pigtails, and whose face bore a familiar bright smile, Vanille was her family, she concluded.

"Barthelous gave me this," Fang pulled the spear from the ground to indicate that was what she meant, "and this." Still unsure of what to make of its contents, she handed the open container over to the chirpy girl.

"What's this?" She asked, curiously, as she tilted it to the side to investigate, carefully. It somehow reminded her of Barthelous, in that the box was practical and unflashy; though its battered sides, caused from lack of proper care, made the simple container instantly charming.

Fang nodded her head forwards and looked to the floor with discomfort, "A letter he told me to read," she lifted her head up again when she spoke, so that she could catch another glimpse of Vanille's beautiful green gems. The older girl always smiled, whenever she found herself lost in their otherworldly symmetry. Staring into her eyes was like looking into her soul—a place where everything was the epitome of purity.

Vanille carefully removed the note from the box's contents and outstretched her arm, leaving only a key rattling at the bottom of the tin.

Fang shook her head, "Will ya read it for me?" she asked, pushing the folded paper back towards Vanille's chest.

Reluctantly, although she was glad to be of some help, Vanille opened up the thin, yellowed piece of paper. As she scanned through the note's scrawled scripture, she could not help but feel nervous. Taking a deep sigh and a quick glance up at Fang's eagerly anticipating stare before she read out the first line, Vanille read it aloud, softly and cautiously:

"Fang," Vanille read the first word, her name, and then paused, almost as though she had asked for permission to continue onwards. Nodding in assurance, Fang urged the redhead to finish reading the letter aloud. "You are stubborn, you are brash, you do not comprehend reason, and you do not wish to conform to Oerba's rules. Perhaps you are uncontrollably young, and perhaps that is how you will stay forev—"

"Jeeze," Fang shook her head, though a throaty laugh had escaped from her chest, "even when he's dead he's still grumpy."

Vanille smiled softly, and then continued reading: "That is how I want you to stay forever. You are the strongest person I have ever had the pleasure of knowing, and I have lived long enough to meet quite a few people.

You are reading this because I was not strong enough to tell you these things to your face, though I hope you can find it within your heart to not begrudge me for th—"

"I forgive you, Gramps." Fang whispered under her breath, as the younger girl continued to read.

"With me gone, Oerba is going to need another protector. I know that, at first, you may shrug your shoulders at this and tell yourself that you are too young to take full responsibility of such a position, but I know eventually, as do the other villagers, you will accept it. You are selfless, especially when it comes to protecting those you love. If Vanille is there with you now, in which case I suspect she is, you should..." Vanille's face flushed red, with embarrassment.

Fang snatched, somehow gently, the note from Vanille's cautious grasp. A devious smile crept across her face, as she read _tell her how you feel_.

"You should finish reading it," Vanille suggested, her cheeks still a bright shade of crimson, "it's private."

Fang nodded as she scanned through the rest of the roughly written letter: _She is stronger than either of us has ever given her credit for_, as Fang read the script she could almost hear Barthelous' griping voice dictating the words angrily at her, _she will protect you. _

_Before my illness bound me to my bed, the Matron and I discussed at great length your position in Oerba. We will require you to partake in the elder ceremony, but once that is complete, you will assume my position within the council. Of course, you will still have to listen to the authority of the elders, so try to avoid the backchat, Yun Fang. The key for my shack are also inside of this case, so take care not to lose it,_

_Goodbye._

As Fang mouthed the words _goodbye_, both girls felt the sensation of a warm force brush past them. It rattled through the folds of their clothing and ruffled up their hair, almost as though it had been a soft summer's breeze. Although the force had hit them with barely any force, it still felt rough and like sandpaper against the soft of their cheeks. Instantly, after the intoxicating aroma of medical herbs overwhelmed her nostrils, Fang knew it had been Barthelous brushing past them, for one last time.

"He wants me to have his hut," Fang let the note blow away with the passing force, much to Vanille's surprise. The younger girl gasped and cupped her mouth with her hands, as she watched the ruffled paper lift up and away into the distance.

"Oh..." Vanille removed her hands from her face, "Shouldn't the next elder have it?"

"You're looking at her," Fang beamed smugly. Tilting her chin up to the bright silver sky, and with her hands placed by her sides, she looked as though she was a proud golden eagle, staring up at the world it so easily dominated.

"You should ask if you can get a girly tattoo, the ones the elders have are kinda scary," Vanille giggled, with a high-pitched chirp as she always did, as she stared at the soft curves of Fang's muscular shoulders. Sometimes, the younger girl would forget how strong she truly was.

"Some reason I don't think a butterfly would suit me Van," raising an eyebrow at the girl's suggestion, "are you coming?" Fang tilted her head behind her as she shouted back to the younger girl, who had felt a tad embarrassed after she had noticed herself ogling Fang's towering frame.

"Wait!" Vanille found herself bleating, as the older girl had turned on her heels and marched, swaying her hips gently, yet thrusting her shoulders back and forth with such a swagger it was as though she was completely fearless, back towards Barthelous' shack.

The brass medallions hanging above the entrance – as the girls entered the aromatic metal shack through the stiff and slightly rusting door – jingled and glistened under the wind, following them inside. Unlike how they had remembered, a place once filled with the sweet perfume of burning oils and cinders, the shack seemed hollow and empty. The clinking of their boots, as they walked across the steel floor panels, even seemed as though they were echoing against the walls of an empty metal case. It was a distant memory to the place she had once remembered. Filled with the busy chatter of the villagers, it had always seemed so full of life; whenever Fang would visit before the pair went off to hunt in the Pulse wilderness, she would remember having to lace her way through the morning's customers.

Vanille gasped as she caught a glimpse of the area behind Barthelous' old and worn workbench. Through a slightly ajar metal door, she could see a single bunk, a mattress covered in a thick red beast's pelt, basking in the silver light shining through the room's blinds. She dared not to venture further, in case she was disrespecting the elder's memory. Fang, however, did not seem to mind, and had burst through to the private living quarters as soon as it had caught her eye. Despite knowing the old man in all the time she had lived in Oerba, he had never allowed anyone to see the space, his house, part of his _soul_, behind the little door.

A grin danced across Fang's lips, "You should move in here with me," Fang said as she backed her body up against Barthelous' workbench. She relished in the insinuating embarrassment flushing Vanille's once pale skin bright pink. That fleeting vulnerability gave the warrior more satisfaction than any of her smiles could, because Vanille tried her best to smile at every occasion. Getting the redhead to draw down her barriers, however, was a different matter. In fact, there was no one else in the world that could melt down Vanille's guard, so easily.

"But there's only one bed," Vanille's hands wandered up to her fevered cheeks, "I can't!"

Fang chuckled to herself, as the many memories of Vanille crawling into her bunk rushed back. "That's never stopped you before," the older girl mocked, biting her lip suggestively.

Vanille's body tingled as the girl stood directly before her continued to tease her into madness. She, too, remembered finding herself in Fang's bunk, back when she could not sleep. Of course, that had happened many years ago, back when Vanille was too young to understand the true depth of her feelings for Fang. She could almost feel the beat of her heart travelling up through her gullet, transforming its self into the overwhelming urge to throw up or pass out, just thinking about the older girl's arms resting gently atop her thigh. Back then, it had all been so innocent; she had only crawled under her blanket because she felt herself enticed by the warrior's commanding embrace.

"I'm gonna go help Matron," Vanille mumbled, turning her head to the floor, "I'll see you tonight at your ceremony."

Fang shrugged her shoulders with a sigh escaping her lips. She told herself she was going to follow out the remaining part of Barthelous' letter. _Tell her how you feel_, Fang repeated in her mind, as she watched the tiny redhead skip out of the shack, her arms swaying by her side, her hips gliding through the room. Fang shook her head, with a wide grin across her face, as she suddenly realised she had been checking her out, again.

*

Rolling her eyes, Fang reluctantly sat herself down into the empty wicker chair. Her shoulder was still tender, having only just returned from having it submitted to the prolonged pain of the tattooist's needle. The bandage tightly wrapped around her shoulder did not seem to ease the pain much, either.

Luckily, for the aching warrior, one of the elders had just finished pouring out a pitcher of vintage red wine. Snatching the cup from the questioning old man, Fang gulped the rich liquid down in one, the acid burning her throat as it glided down. Her nerves were slowly beginning to get the better of her, the more time passed on without Vanille showing her face. The more time Fang sat at the lonely chair, beside the other four elders, whose chatter had the tendency to bore her back to the bottom of the wine glass, the more her mind would wander back to Vanille's beautiful face, smiling and flushing red.

"Hello, Dia Vanille," the elder stood and greeted the approaching redhead, who simply nodded in reply. Although her body felt numb under the consuming wooziness of the wine, and probably some painkillers she had taken after getting her tattoo, she somehow managed to stand and stumble across the dusty concrete floor. The bright burning of the nearby bonfire scraped at Fang's cheeks, as she neared closer to the redhead.

Clumsily, like a giant ogre making an awkward plea, Fang wrapped her enormous arms around the younger girl's tiny shoulders. She held Vanille's head close to her chest, so that she knew the girl was there and that she was not under an alcohol-fuelled daydream. She was there; she could smell the sweet but sour aroma of strawberries, the variety that clung to the redhead wherever she went.

Overwhelmed by embarrassment at the realisation her head was pressing up against the older girl's breasts, "Fang?" she asked, as she pulled out of the embrace.

"You're cute, y'know," Fang purred as she gently traced a finger across the underneath of Vanille's gentle jaw line. She wanted to tell the redhead that she was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen in her life, but, despite the bravado she seemed to put on, she was too shy to admit it. She felt almost as vulnerable as Vanille looked, under the soft light of the roaring bonfire beside them. She could almost see her burning desire reflected in Vanille's bright green emerald eyes.

"Are you..." Vanille batted her eyelids, the intense weight on her heart becoming too much for her, "drunk?" she asked. She would have been disappointed in the girl, had it not been so adorable to watch.

"I think mixing medicine and wine is bad," Fang admitted, snickering. The world around her seemed to spin around her heels, as she desperately tried to cling onto Vanille's weak frame. As the world span around her, all that she could see clearly was the beautiful redhead's flush crimson cheeks, and her slightly parted lips, which seemed reluctantly to be laughing along with her. Finally, after clearing her throat and steadying her balance a tad, Fang managed to mumble cohesive words. "Come home with me, Vanille," she said, almost sincerely.

"I suppose I'll have to, won't I?" Vanille beamed with defeat, nodding as she spoke.

Slipping her hand into the redhead's empty grasp, the girls made their way across the empty pier. Although all of the villagers had gathered to celebrate Fang's new position, no one seemed to notice she was gone. Surprisingly, she seemed to be agile enough on her feet, despite the fact that the wine had consumed her better judgement. She had stared down at the worn and dusty concrete of the village's night floor most of the journey, though she made sure that Vanille's grasp did not escape her. They were close, they always had been, but for some reason they had never held hands. Perhaps, Fang thought, as she watched the silhouette of her and Vanille's shadow move across the concrete flooring, it meant that finally she was letting the younger girl know how she felt. Fang was not good with words, what she had to tell her was not simple, and if she was forced to tell her, she doubted she would be able to find the literature to express the true extent of her feelings. She glanced down to their hands and decided that that was her way of showing Vanille; though, she was unsure of whether or not she had realised what it really meant.

Vanille was smiling humbly, almost so happy she was about to burst out into a chirpy hum, as she skipped along Fang's side. Her eyes met the older girl's, briefly, as she flashed her stare down to their hands in union.

"Where's the key?" Vanille asked, puzzled by the alien experience of returning to an empty home. She had run ahead to open Barthelous' shack's door, though had been thrown aback by the stiff and unresponsive handle. Not sure of where to look, the redhead's attentions flashed away from Fang, who had reached into the inside of her bra. "You put it in your vest?"

"Where else am I gonna put it?" Fang retorted, wheezing from laughter, "It's as good a place as any." Pressing her forehead against the door, she heavy-handedly directed the key towards its whole. She listened, with great foil, as the key rattled against the scrap metal of the flimsy door.

Vanille found herself watching the drunken, and slightly drugged, warrior fumble at the door. She found that she, too, was slowly becoming more and more frustrated with the situation, the more time the process took. Finally, she gently snatched the small bronze key from her weak clasp, and thrust it into the large hole.

With a jingle of the brass medallions above them, they entered the abandoned shack once more. The strong smells of cinders had followed them inside, and given the once empty box an alluring smell of home. Vanille could imagine herself living there, with Fang, welcoming people into her shop filled with ornaments the older girl had looted from her explorations.

"Is that offer still open?" Vanille asked, vaguely, as she stopped walking with Fang for a moment. The older girl had continued onwards, into the small bedroom.

"We can even get another bed if that's what ya want," Fang rasped, "but I don't think that's what you want, is it?" she asked, her voice touching sincerity briefly, again. It made Vanille feel weak at the knees, just seeing the way the older girl was looking at her. It filled her being, made her feel fulfilled; to know that she was the only person in the entire universe Fang had ever looked at like that. Her lips would rise slightly at the sides, not into a full smile, and her bright blue eyes would glaze over, like water slowly sliding down a rain sodden window.

"I'll protect you Fang!" the words had seemed as though they had burst from Vanille's mouth without her consent, she instantly drew her hands up to protect her gaping expression.

Fang unbuckled her belt, the one that had held her blue sari to her strong, but equally feminine, frame, and sat down onto the soft pelt lying on the sturdy bunk beside her. Vanille could not help but admire her beautiful figure, her pulse racing, as the older girl undressed before her. Once she had stripped down to her tight black vest and underwear, she rested into the bed, making sure she did not withdraw eye contact from the shocked girl stood opposite her.

"Tomorrow," Fang rasped, obviously exhausted from the day's events, "will you travel to Haerii with me?" she asked, extending an arm for Vanille to grab.

Shuffling forward, the burning cheeked redhead grabbed the hand and allowed Fang to pull her gently onto the bed, so that she landed on her side, next to her. She nodded, "Of course I will, but why?" she asked, her body rigid from the initial shiver sent up through her spine, from the moment their exposed skin came into contact. Vanille felt winded as she felt the weight shift on the bed, and as a muscular and bandaged arm leant across her waist. Once she had allowed her body to relax into the situation, she finally found herself overwhelmed by a sudden sense of calm.

"I want to spread some of his ashes over the place he met his wife." Fang said softly, as she nuzzled her nose into the nape of Vanille's back. She smelt as fresh and as sweet, personifying the smell of purity into what could only be described as being like freshly boiled strawberry jam; just as she had remember she smelt. Just inhaling her beautiful aroma was enough to drive her taste buds wild and draw out her carnal instincts.

"Did he talk about his wife much?" Vanille asked, turning on her side so that she was facing the wild warrior. She felt the air from within her lungs escape, as she suddenly became aware of how close their faces were.

"Nah, once. Do you think he'd want us to scatter him there?" Fang's eyes had involuntarily closed themselves, so that she could inhale Vanille's smell more.

"Yeah."

Vanille watched as Fang's chest slowly rose and then fell, next to her own. Her eyes traced an invisible path, up through the warrior's fantastic body. She was nervous, but she knew that she had nothing to fear. Cautiously, Vanille tightened her lips. Gently, she laced her fingers into Fang's and leaned into contact with her soft, delicate lips. It roused Fang from her slight sleep, enough to bring a wide smile out across her lips, though it did not wake her up entirely.

Before closing her eyes, Vanille buried her head in between the space below the older girl's chin and her chest, so that she was resting softly upon her clavicle bone.

* * *

**A/N:** This chapter turned out a lot longer than I expected 0.0'. I hope that's a good thing. Anyways, their relationship is probably gonna be quite paced again for a little while, so prz don't hate me for not rushing into it. It'll be worth waiting for... I promise :3.

Reviews greatly appreciated (good and bad, remember)


	4. Chapter Four: Protector

**A/N:** I wasn't originally gonna include this chapter because it pretty much lacks a plot, but I needed to find something to lead onto the next chapters, so I used it anyway. Kinda couldn't find any inspiration with it at all, so I apologise if it is completely rubbish. The next chapters will be a lot better though, I'm already excited that I can finally start writing them up. :)) enjoy anyways

**

* * *

4  
**_Protector_

Vanille had felt instantly uncomfortable, from the moment they had entered the smoke filled pub. Grabbing the older girl's hand, the security of Fang's strong clasp helping the tiny redhead to feel at ease, they threaded their bodies through the crowds of men flocking around the tables, jeering over a game of cards with cigars hanging from their semi-parted lips. Allowing herself to submit completely to the older girl's protection, she dipped her head down to avoid offending any of the rowdy men with latent eye contact. The plan had been to simply run in, ask for directions, and then run back out. Although Fang was still confident she could take on any man who threatened her—in their drunken and weakened state it did not matter how many of them there were—she, too, could not help but feel apprehensive.

Spying a back wall, stacked high with a large assortment of alcoholic beverages, Fang persisted to venture into the intoxicating hut. Unluckily for the girls, after scattering Barthelous' ashes over the first river they could find, they had gotten lost during their brief exploration of Haerii Archaeopolis. Having found themselves surrounded by the towering blocks of flats, housing hundreds upon thousands of civilians who wished to remain anonymous to fleeting tourists such as Fang and Vanille—cold and sodden from the heavy rain—they had thought it a stroke of luck to discover a nearby pub. Their optimism had faded, as soon as a drunken old man had come crashing out through the enormous steel doors, dry heaving against the rough metal shack's wall.

Fang sighed as she watched the bogged down barman desperately attempt to keep up with the speed of which his customers were consuming the alcohol. She felt as though it would be selfish to ask him for directions, taking into consideration how busy he was. Thinking that the pub might quiet down after a few hours, she pushed her way to an empty stool.

Leaning her body back, closer to Vanille's, so that it was easier to communicate, "Grab a seat," she shouted, though Vanille could not understand a word she had said. "I said," Fang placed her hands against the side of the tiny redhead's temple, so that she had built a tunnel around her ear with her hands, "grab that seat, I'm gonna order us a drink."

Vanille's face dropped slightly, "No," she retorted, stamping her feat in protest, "can we leave, please?" She pouted her lips and scrunched her nose; it was hard for Fang to resist such an adorable expression.

Fang sighed and scratched her chin, thinking for a moment. If they were to leave, they would more than likely find themselves stranded—out in the rain! "Listen," she said, with a soft and understanding sincerity to her newly adopted tone, "it might go quiet, and it's better than waiting outside in the cold."

Reluctantly, Vanille sat her bottom down on the stool, nodding her head vaguely in agreement. As Fang wandered off around to the front of the bar, to grab the waiter's attention, she suddenly became aware of the fact that there were only a few other women in the room with them, though not many of the men had seemed to pay them any mind. They probably felt intimidated by the bright red spear attached to the back of Fang's belt, Vanille thought to herself, in mild amusement. Her strength matched equally with passion and beauty; those were reasons, amongst many others, why Vanille had found it so easy to fall for her.

"Want a drink?" an unfamiliarly grainy voice said, a cold finger tapping the tiny redhead's shoulder to draw her attention. She flinched and jumped round to look behind her, where the voice and touch had came from. Sat in the stool beside her, cradling a half finished glass of transparent liquid, probably vodka, was a silver haired man. Thick strands of grey whiskers were emerging from the blotchy skin of his chin and cheeks, making him appear as though he was in a good need of a shave.

"No," Vanille's eyes winded slightly by the fear consuming her, "thank you."

The scruffy man seemed amused by her nervous disposition; it only encouraged him to lean in closer. Biting gently down onto the tip of his tongue, showing off his bright yellow teeth, the middle-aged man—whose bright blue eyes seemed like doors opening the way inside of a vacant man's one-track mind—looked the younger girl up and down. He had missed her entering with Fang; and had assumed she had entered alone.

"You're cute," he hissed, the air from around his teeth whistled as he spoke, "you new here?"

"Just visiting" Vanille chirped, hoping she could direct the conversation into something more civilised, "we actually managed to get lost, do you know how to get back to the train station from here?" she asked, though his raised eyebrow told her he was not paying attention.

"Are you a virgin?" he asked, chuckling sinisterly to himself. Vanille felt sick; fearing he might reach over and grab her, she looked desperately over the horizon of heads for Fang's tall frame. "I'll take that as a yes, who did you say you were visiting with, anyway?"

Vanille's rushing heart rested and a sigh of relief escaped from her lungs, as she felt Fang's powerful frame slide in behind her. Slamming a glass of bright purple juice down in front of the younger girl, she instantly sized the creep up. He backed away, instantly intimidated by the warrior's towering frame; she was a lot taller than he was.

"Who are you?" Fang asked, placing one hand across the younger girl's shoulder and the other across her hip.

"Raudor," he stuttered, shuffling nervously in his seat, "are you two sisters?" he asked, tensing up.

"Something like that," Fang retorted, her left eyebrow rose, suggestively; she wanted an excuse to decapitate him. Luckily, for her, his yellow-toothed grin returned. Fang felt the younger girl's leg hit her against the shin, it was an obvious warning that the situation was making her feel uncomfortable.

"My flat is just around the corner," his tone had softened, though still growled with the husk of his voice, "you girls should come, we can _talk _more privately." He winked, causing both girls to cringe.

Deciding she could not tolerate him any second longer, and having had enough of the younger girl's persistent prods and kicks, she thrust a tight fist around the greasy man's thick neck, and pushed him across over the bar's counter. The room seemed to gasp and fall silent, as the sound of glasses smashing against the floor emanated through the smoke filled hut.

"I don't think that'd be a good idea," Fang eased her grip on the creep, realising she had complete control over him, even if he did decide to try and fight back, "wanna know what would be a good idea?"

Vanille rose from her seat, latching behind the older girl for protection. She was like some wild beast, reaching over the table to annihilate any threat. The tiny redhead wondered if part her anger had been fuelled by a misplaced sense of jealously, though that was a ridiculous thing to conclude, Vanille realised.

"W-what?" he stuttered. Although he was a creep, he definitely was not a threat to anyone, Fang thought, as she watched him shudder underneath her commanding frame.

"Draw me a map to the train station," she said, standing back so that he could regain his posture, "and I won't chop off your—" she said, reaching behind her back to her spear.

"Okay!" he shouted, rutting around his pockets for something to write a map on, though there was nothing but loose change and rubbish.

"Here," the barman said, softly; the strong lines of his masculine features were misleading, and he spoke with genuine serenity to his voice, "I'll write 'em down for you, old Raudor here will more than likely send you someplace wrong."

*

Neither girl had expected a train to arrive so soon. Usually only two or three would pass through the city, even less would pass through Oerba, per day, but with a stroke of luck, they had managed to arrive just before a military carriage headed out. From what Fang could gather, through listening in on some soldiers waiting near the back of the queue, a village had been attacked. She kept the information to herself, not wanting to worry Vanille.

"We apologise for any inconvenience caused, but we will not be able to carry any civilian passengers aboard our fleet," the soldier said, dressed in Haerii's traditional sky blue armour, with a long gold sash hanging over their right shoulder, "it's just too dangerous." Vanille could hear the closest people hissing at the soldiers under their breath, irritated by the fact that they would have to wait longer until they could catch a train.

Vanille tightened her grip on Fang's hand, as the crowds surrounding them began to stir. She was afraid that the angry people surrounding them might kick off, and in the chaos, she might lose sight of Fang's towering frame, always protecting her. Some people there had been waiting at the depot for over five hours, and having seen the enormous train scuttle up beside them their hopes had raised. It was as though none of them cared to know the reason as to why Haerii's soldiers were boarding the train. The way Fang was staring across at the train's wide-open, glass doors, filling with heavily armoured soldiers, showed Vanille the older girl cared. She was probably plotting a way to get aboard, to help whichever village was in trouble.

"What do you think is happening?" Vanille asked, tugging at Fang's hand so that she would draw her attentions. Her concerned face transformed to a warm smile; it was a see-through attempt at making Vanille feel safer, meaning the situation must be bad.

"Probably nothing," Fang said softly, though loud enough to be heard over the surrounding commotion, "it might just be a training thing, these military people are always doing stuff like that."

Vanille nodded, though not convinced. _What if it is Oerba? _Vanille thought to herself, watching more of the soldiers run in. Perhaps Fang had thought the same, the redhead sighed; that would explain the lies.

"By the time we arrive, they'll probably be ripped to shreds," Fang heard one of the soldiers say, as he prepared his gun and pushed through the rowdy crowd gathering next to the train's entrance, "it's only a small village as well."

"You ever been there?" the other soldier asked, attaching his ammunition belt, "to Oerba?"

Fang felt sick as soon as she heard their village mentioned; she felt nothing but guilt for leaving her village to pursue an excuse to spend some time with the younger girl. Pulling Vanille along with her, she laced her body through the suffocating crowd. If she had a choice, she would have left Vanille there, in Haerii, forever; at least then she would be safe from Cocoon's devastation. She knew she did not have a choice though, Vanille would follow her aboard the train, somehow; and besides, her grip would be hard to prize apart.

"We're gonna jump into that open part," Fang whispered, nodding towards a carriage's wide-open doors, they were closing slowly as the train began to accelerate slowly, "now!" she shouted, releasing her grip on Vanille's hand. They ran for the bright red container, the tiny redhead unsure of what exactly was happening, but she trusted Fang enough to follow her without question.

The hard leather heel of their boots thudding against scrap metal flooring, they both landed safely inside the cargo's container. A few of the nearby civilians had watched them jump aboard, although there was nothing they could do to prevent them. No one tried to follow them; the train had begun to scuttle across the tracks too quickly for them to make a safe attempt from the depot.

Rubbing the invisible dust from her lap, Vanille glanced across to the warrior, who was striding up and down the container's floor, cracking her fingers, deep in thought. "Is it Oerba?" she asked, unsure of whether she wanted to hear the answer, because she already knew it to be true, deep down in her gut instinct.

Sighing, Fang nodded. Her body fell backwards as the train jolted around a corner, it seemed as though it was travelling quicker than the ordinary convoys. "They'll be okay," Fang laid her body down next to Vanille's, who had collapsed into a bag of foodstuffs after the jolt, "most of 'em don't know how to die."

Vanille nodded, reaching across for Fang's hand; silently she threaded her fingers through the warrior's, so that their hands were interlocked. "We'll protect Oerba together, Fang," she whispered. Fang did not want to do it together, she did not care if Vanille hated her for it; at least she would still be alive to hate her, that way. Pulling her closer, she pressed her lips against the younger girl's, causing a gently sigh to escape Vanille's mouth. Feeling as though it was her last chance, the warrior eased a tongue into her delicate, warm mouth, causing her own breath to flee from her lungs. Every sense in her body enflamed and intensified, she closed her eyes and allowed herself to fall into the realms of bliss. She tasted like a wild forest of sour berries and sweet fruits, a cool ocean's breeze, more surreal than anything Fang could have ever imagined.

* * *

a/n: I could probably do with a beta reader, just feel like it's really poorly written, so if anyone wants to give me some tips it'd be rly appreciated/if anyone wants to beta read for me I'll be rly happy. ttfn


	5. Chapter Five: The Sacrifice

**5  
**_The Sacrifice_

Brushing the stray strands of ferocious orange hair from Vanille's face, Fang watched as the younger girl closed her eyes and attempted to drift off into sleep. She basked in the fragile smile dancing across her ruby red lips, as the younger girl slowly disappeared into a soothing sense of unconsciousness. Fang could feel the pounding of Vanille's heartbeat beneath her ribcage, beating against the palm of her hand, as the sleeping girl continued to pull her hand close to her chest. With memories such as the beautiful sight before her, the warrior knew she could live content as a crystal for eternity. She had kissed Vanille that night, travelling in the military's food transportation carriage, with the intent on remembering it forever. Perhaps it was selfish to want to feel a love as intense as what the girls shared forever, but it was the only thing Fang needed on her side to convince her it was the right decision. Even if the redhead would hate her for the rest of her life, at least she would be alive to feel that hate, and thinking about it, their relationship was insignificant when compared to the many years that lay ahead.

Her life for Vanille's, it was a fair trade. She would probably save millions of other lives, too, depending on what the Fal'Cie granted of her. Anything to destroy the devils above, in Cocoon, Fang thought, tensing her fists slightly as she stared up to the inanimate bronzed shell glowing through the gap in the cargo's door. Floating high in the night's sky amongst the distant stars, it almost looked like a thing of beauty, though she knew that could not be right. The people up there were the reason why everyone on Pulse had to live like barbarians, why hundreds of people died each day and why Fang had so much to lose. If it were not for the devil people living inside of its bronzed case, the people of Pulse would live free and happily, but instead they were involuntarily committed to a life of drudgery.

The train jumped over another section of rough poorly structured track, causing the carriage to hop up and nearly derail. Its crashing motion had caused Vanille to wake up immediately, having only just dropped into sleep. She thrust her body forward expecting to see an enormous beast standing face to face with her, but instead she only rose to find herself sat under Fang's warm gaze. She wiped a few beads of sweat from her forehead and leaned back onto the older girl's lap, neither of them had to say a word. Vanille could tell the warrior was deep in thought, probably trying to organise a plan for when they arrived at the village; she did not even have to ask her girlfriend to know.

_Girlfriend_? Vanille asked herself under her breath, startled to see the grin parting Fang's mouth. She wondered if she had heard her say it, or perhaps she had read her mind.

"Girlfriend sounds childish," Fang said, her croaky voice cutting through the silence suddenly.

"What are we then, partners?" Vanille asked, reaching her hands upwards to cup the girl's chin, upside down.

"Soul mates," Fang smirked, aware of the way love was turning her into a cliché. She was not the type to be overly sensitive or emotional or even compassionate at all, but being around the serene redhead changed that. She turned her into a soppy mess, even if she did not show it.

The statement had caused Vanille to sit upright in her lap, wrapping her arms around the older girl's waist again. Although it had been embarrassing to hug at first, because Vanille's lack of height meant her head rested perfectly atop Fang's breasts whenever they did, it now seemed like a natural expression. It was almost as though Vanille's head resting atop her chest was a sign of how well their bodies matched one another, after all, they did feel comfortable to rest against, the redhead shyly thought to herself, lapping up the heady smell of rich chocolate.

"Promise me something," she whispered, her throat tightening as she dared herself to speak, "promise me we'll be together, no matter what," she said.

Fang did not want to make a promise she could not keep. She tried to convince herself that even in her crystallised state their souls would forever remain entwined, even when Vanille continued to explore life. It did not work whichever way she looked at it, there was no way she could promise something to her family, knowing it would be broken within the forthcoming day.

"I promise," she lied, no longer caring about promises or oaths. Her oath to herself had been to protect Vanille, that came before all else.

"—and tomorrow, promise me you will let me protect you?" she asked, pulling out from the embrace to force eye contact.

"What does that mean?" Fang's eyes narrowed with suspicion, "I ain't letting you protect me if it's code for suicide or something."

Vanille giggled slightly, "I mean you don't have to do anything heroic, not by yourself anyway," she said, her face straightening into seriousness.

"I wasn't planning on anyway," she lied, afraid she might see through the cheeky grin, "someone needs to stay alive to protect you anyway," she added, leaning over to peck a kiss across the redhead's lips.

"Did I tell you my plans for our shop?" Vanille's chirpy tone had returned, though it was hiding her fears. She knew something was going on behind Fang's deep, blue eyes.

Fang shook her head, raising an eyebrow with intrigue, "Our shop? Do you have our lives planned out or something?"

The tiny redhead blushed under the suggestion, mainly because it had been right. She had spent a lot of her time planning their wedding, even managing to divulge into the smallest detail, such as how the wedding cake would taste of sweet, aromatic and sickly dark chocolate; the variety of which Fang tasted.

"Maybe," she buried her head inside Fang's chest again, "well do you want to hear about it or not?"

"I don't think you're gonna let me say no, are you?" she asked, finding herself taken in by Vanille's endearing ways. She was glad the redhead was trying her best to be amusing; it helped her build up more memories.

"Nope I'm not!" she bleated happily, like a hyperactive child, her voice creeping up an octave each time she got excited, "well, basically our shop in the middle of Oerba will be filled with beautiful smells, sights and sounds. You can collect rocks, herbs and things when you go off hunting with the elders, then come back and we can—"

Vanille's heart had been racing furiously due to the anxiety she was trying so desperately to hide, but calmed instantly to the warm feeling of Fang's lips once again pressed against her own. She revelled in the sensation of the older girl's silky tongue dancing inside her mouth in unison with her own. She felt herself falling into ecstasy, as the sweet, almost sickly, taste of the warrior glided slowly down her gullet. All four of her senses seemed damaged and fragmented, but only because they were all now connected together, ultimately feeding the entirety of her body with the same intense feeling of being aflame.

"You can dream all you want," Fang spoke into the younger girl's mouth, "I'd rather focus on making the most of now."

*

The train came to one final crash, before it finally stopped outside Oerba's small train station, situated just outside the village's entrance. The rocky path leading into the northern section seemed much the same, a dusty path worn down to nothing more than rocks, with bright green wildlife thriving by its side. They had managed to beat the soldiers to the village, due to Fang's extensive knowledge of the area. Staring at the contorted gates, once standing tall and brave, like gates protecting heaven from the depths of hell, neither girl felt strong enough for what damage might be lying behind the steel wreckage. Nodding to her _soul mate_, Vanille thrust her binding rod out in front of her and headed towards the inside of the village, with Fang following very closely behind her.

"Fang!" Shinra called out, swiping his hand knives into the neck of a behemoth, "thank the Fal'Cie you're here!" he shouted, finishing the wild beast off with one last brave thrust to its stomach. It wailed in pain, before dissipating into a cloud of crystallised, purple dust.

"Are you okay?" Fang asked, glancing around the ruins of their village for any more survivors, so far all she could see was piles of scrap metal, "where is everyone?" she asked again, seeing that Shinra was busy panting over by the orphanage's entrance.

"I'm fine," he shrugged off a large slash wound across his shoulder, "everyone who survived is in the valley," he nodded towards the bright green fields north of their village. A long time ago, Barthelous had told Fang of a small cave the villagers had built many centuries previous, she concluded the elders had probably directed all of the remaining survivors there.

"Why are you still here?" Vanille asked, automatically checking to see if the freshly punctured flesh was infected.

"I couldn't just run, knowing there might be a few people trapped," he grimaced under the pain of Vanille's probing.

"It's okay to run sometimes Shinra," Vanille whispered, in an attempt to reassure him, meeting the judging glance of Fang, though she agreed with the statement, "do you know where this cave is?" she asked.

"Yeah," he nodded, his worried expression slowly softening, "come on, I'll take you two."

"—No," Fang said, thrusting her spear out in front of them suddenly, "you two go alone, I'm going to visit Anima." It was the hardest thing she had ever said, but after thinking of nothing else the entire day, she had concluded it was the only available option. Even Shinra seemed devastated by the revelation, as his mouth gaped open.

Vanille grabbed the edge of her spear and threw it into the air, refusing to let her give up just like that. Tears streaming down her cheeks, she thrust a weak fist into Fang's stomach, throwing the warrior back in surprise. It pained her to see the broken redhead before her, but there was no way she was going back on the promise she had made to herself and to Barthelous.

"What about the promise we just made?" Vanille fell to the ground, to her knees. Shinra was still watching the drama unfold, not quite sure what to make of it.

"I promised to keep you safe, no matter what," Fang pushed the redhead back and picked her staff up from the cracked pavement, "look after her Shinra."

She turned her back, gritting her teeth so that the gnawing feeling at the pit of her stomach would ease off, and darted towards the glowing green temple, due west of the village. She would forever remember where its tomb lay, because that was where the bright red flowers Vanille loved grew. Everything reminded her of what she was giving up, as she sprinted through the mountainous valleys. There was the tree Vanille was stuck up, she had recalled as she passed the giant oak just by the road's side. There, beside the decapitated old fence from a civilisation before them, was where she slapped Shinra with a baseball bat, after Fang had encouraged her to do so. She remembered exactly how her face had flushed bright red, after apologising continuously to the doubled over teenager.

Panting and with the world spinning around her ankles, she finally arrived outside of Anima's flaming green tomb. The gates had always been sealed shut whenever she passed through, but now they sprung open as if they were inviting her inside. There were doubts swimming through her thoughts, but she ignored them and pressed onwards into the unknown abyss of the Fal'Cie's dungeon. She did not know what lay behind the burning, acid green doors. The only knowledge she had to base her expectations on was the old tales passed on through the generations via pretentious old men, the likes of which had been too cowardly to become a L'Cie for themselves, so they gossiped about it instead. If what she had heard was correct, Anima would brand her with the L'Cie mark and grant her with a focus; something designed to protect Pulse. What her focus would be, she had no idea. Determined, nevertheless, she ran inside to the maze lying inside.

Large blocks of concrete walls, decorated in old Fal'Cie images, made up the horizon. The rooms burned brightly from eternal flames bursting out from baskets hanging from atop the towering walls; Fang watched the sights entranced by their beauty. She knew that Vanille would find the tomb beautiful, but it was something she would just have to go without seeing.

Finding that she was finally at the bottom of a staircase, seemingly stretching up to a height far taller than the eye could see, Fang knew she had to carry on. Using up every store of energy within her body, she pelted up the steps, refusing to listen to the nagging worry inside of her consciousness, begging her to run back to Vanille.

"Fang!" her heart sank, as she heard the familiar high pitched whale sound out from beneath her. Glancing over her shoulder, she could see Vanille bounding up the steps.

"Vanille, go back!" she retorted, darting up the steps even quicker. She was running so fast in fact, if she was to stop moving the force would probably push her along an extra few feet.

"I'm not leaving you," she screamed, her footsteps sounded as though they were moving even quicker than Fang's, "you don't have to do this, we can protect Oerba to—"

The bright green flash of Anima's intoxicating light blinded them and forced them off balance, thrusting them to their knees. Everything was silent, apart from both girls' heavy breathing emanating through the walls of whichever reality they had been forced into. It felt as though they were under water, from the way their bodies lifted up effortlessly in the gravitation less world. Her brightly coloured skirt flapping through the green light, Fang caught sight of the redhead drifting away from her. Intent on getting them out of this mess, Fang swam through the green light and grabbed her hand, though they were both unable to communicate. They were in some kind of dream.

"Fang, don't leave me," Vanille whispered, it hummed inside of her ears, almost as if she had communicated via thought, "I need you."

_I need you too_, Fang thought, as their bodies drifted further apart. Her body had fallen numb to the force, and despite all the will in the world, she could not move.

The bright green walls crumbled slowly into black, as they slowly returned to reality, still unconscious from the transformation their bodies had undergone.

* * *

**A/N: **I knew I was excited to write the next parts but I didn't expect it to be so easy/ be written up so easily. The next few chapters should be the last. :3


	6. Chapter Six: One

_I changed the rating to M cos there's some smut in here, sorry .._

* * *

**6  
**_One_

Stirring under warm flames, clawing against her soft and supple cheeks, Vanille roused from her prolonged state of unconsciousness. She fluttered her eyelids under the overwhelming weight of exhaustion, its throbbing pain tightening across the entirety of her petite frame. As she lay in the state between being awake and being asleep, she dreamt of a time and place where her and Fang could live simply and freely, without the burden of other people and their misery. She could imagine them running to a wilderness, far away, surviving perfectly well with the warrior's adept hunting skills. It was nothing more than a dream though, Vanille knew that.

Scraping her body into an upright position, the tiny redhead glanced over her shoulder towards where the heat had been coming from. Sat beside the well-stacked fire, Fang poked vacantly at the bright orange fire, watching as the carbon tried desperately to reach upwards for air. The redhead could see she was deep in thought. Everything was a blur to her, she could not remember if she had managed to save Fang from becoming a L'Cie. Perhaps the dream that had followed, where the girls were slowly drifting apart, in a space of bright fluorescent green, had occurred because they escaped. It seemed unlikely, but Vanille would rather be optimistic and believe in that than permit herself to the creeping truth that they were both, now, slaves of the Fal'Cie. It was selfish, but Vanille did not care about the Fal'Cie, or their wars against Cocoon. She did not hate the unknown orb floating above them; she did not even vaguely dislike it. Despite the harsh cruelties of life on Pulse, she preferred to focus on the good. Fang and the people of Oerba were good, and if everyone could live to accept that life was not easy, they could be content and appreciate the gifts of their world, instead of relying on the Fal'Cie and their powers to protect them.

She looked to the broken woman before her, staring into nowhere, Vanille felt selfish for wanting a life with her and not caring for the greater problems of the world. Now standing, the tiny redhead softly placed her hand across the older girl's shoulder, at least expecting a reaction. Instead, she did not even flinch.

"Fang?" she asked, softly, as she sat atop the same piece of scrap metal – probably a ruin of Oerba – Fang sat at. There was no reply, no glance back to her; there was not a single movement to indicate she was awake. She caught a glimpse of Fang's scorching bright L'Cie brand, branded into her right shoulder, as if she was some kind of Fal'Cie product. "We can find your focus together, you don't have to shut me out like this," she said, nuzzling her lips into the warrior's neck. She felt cold, almost as though she was already a corpse.

Vanille gasped as she felt Fang's cold hand brush against her thigh, reaching underneath her brightly coloured skirt. Her fingernails scratched gently across the bumps of a raised surface, caressing the metallic texture of the redhead's brand. She glanced down to where she had touched, astounded by the bright glowing emanating from her. "I'm sorry," Fang finally spoke, her throat was tight with the burden of guilt wallowing in the pit of her stomach, "it's my fault you're a L'Cie," she tilted her head and closed her eyes, one tiny droplet gliding down her cheeks, "I should have protected you."

"Then we'll find our focus together," Vanille's eyes had begun to build up with freshly formed tears, "we'll be together, as crystals, forever, like we promised."

Fang smiled warmly and looked to the younger girl's bright emerald orbs for comfort, "From what the elders told me, we're meant to work out our focus for ourselves," she said.

Vanille nodded, "Did you dream that we were drifting apart, just after we were turned into L'Cie?" She knelt down to her knees before Fang, interlocking their hands. Her emotions were creeping back to her, almost with a sense of urgency since what had happened to them, as she shared the lustful gaze. The cave they had found themselves in almost seemed romantic, with the gentle sound of water streaming past them in a soft current.

"Do you think that's connected to our focus?" Fang asked.

Vanille shrugged her shoulders slightly, she was unsure of what it meant, but it had to be significant. "We were drifting apart, so maybe it's telling us we need to stay together," she concluded, thinking aloud.

"That doesn't really help us much," Fang closed her eyes and returned to the deep state of thought Vanille feared, "it could mean anything." Frustrated by her lack of control and understanding towards the situation, she rose angrily to her feet, Vanille rising with her, their interlocking fingers never parting.

Without saying a word, the tiny redhead leaned to her tiptoes and planted a soft peck atop the older girl's lips. They both smiled from the humble sensation it had bought them, but their longing glances down towards one another told each other they both wanted more. That night in the military's food transportation carriage had left Fang wishing they could stay there for eternity, but now a similar situation had arisen and she was unsure of whether she could control her animalistic urges. Was it worth pulling herself back from them? The warrior had thought to herself, as their tongues raced passionately against one another's. She was stupid to have thought she could have become a L'cie, fulfilled her focus, and become a crystal without giving every inch of herself to the younger girl.

Letting her hands stray downwards, tracing a path, starting from the redhead's slight shoulders, falling into a resting place at the subtle curve of her hips, Fang continued to lose herself in the immersive kiss. She could feel the slight sting of Vanille's fingernails digging into the skin of her neck, though it had become an oddly pleasurable sensation under the heated desires of the moment. Fang could not fight back the devious grin forcing its way across her mouth, as high-pitched moans escaped Vanille's mouth. The redhead's body was beginning to tense up under the intense pressure building up within her, a collection of many years' worth of deposited desires. Were they in such a situation because they were afraid of not getting another chance? Was it because the time was right?

Pressing Vanille to the floor, unhooking her garments as they fell into one another, Fang straddled her hips, amazed by the ecstasy coursing through her veins. She doubted that there was another person in the world that could bring her to such a high, so easily. Unbuckling her belt, she allowed Vanille to explore the softness of her skin with the palms of her hands; her entire body damp from the sweat excitement had brought. The warrior felt weak to the world, now that her supple breasts exposed themselves to the redhead's delicate stroke. A hand wandered between Vanille's legs, receiving a welcoming moan, as she desperately searched for something to grind. Everything around her was fading into a blur, senses and vision, all weakening under the younger girl's slight grazes. Arching her back into each thrust, as she lay into the girl's petite, damp body, the girls brushed their bodies against one another's, feeling the intense fire of a climax readying itself to consume their consciousness. She felt as though her body had fell into one with Vanille's, perfectly synchronised.

Exploding into uncontrollable euphoria, Fang blacked out, falling atop Vanille, cold to the world. Almost as though she transported into the future, she saw herself turning into a wild, emancipated beast, a furious combination of steeled claws and hostile fangs, leaping into the sky, heading towards the bronzed shell. She was ripping a whole into Cocoon's outer shell, destroying all of its inhabitants with her newly adopted powers, as the ferocious beast.

She regained her composure, to find Vanille beneath her body, seemingly taken aback by a similar vision. The redhead wrapped her hands around Fang's shoulder blades so that she lifted into an upright sitting position, though her mind was still quite some distance away from reality. She was in a limbo between reeling over her feelings for Fang and the shocking revelation of her L'Cie focus. Vanille did not want to be the one to possess such incredible power; just the prospect of being that strong frightened her enough to wish not to pursue it. Perhaps she was to become a Cie'th, it seemed a better fait than the one Anima had in store for them.

"Did you see it?" Fang asked, panting under her exhaustion and confusion.

Vanille nodded, "Yeah," she said. Her voice was wary and distant, perplexed by what she must do next. She was unsure of whether an eternity spent as a crystal, by Fang's side, was really worth the sacrifice of a civilisation. Even though those people had stolen her chance at a normal, easy life – they had even stolen her parents from her – Vanille did not believe ripping their homes from the sky was a likely solution.

"We have to go to that volcano," Fang said, urgency to her tone, "before we turn to Cie'th."

Vanille fell silent, she did not dare to air her concerns – even through all that had happened – she still doubted whether Fang would understand her doubts. Perhaps she would hate her through a misplaced sense of betrayal, feeling as though Vanille had backed out of their oath at the last minute. With all the conviction in her heart, she knew that was not the reason why she was having second thoughts.

_Sorry_, the redhead muttered under her breath, as she watched the warrior collect her clothes from around the makeshift camp. Vanille hated herself for her selfish doubts, but she just could not bring herself to go against her instincts.

*

They had emerged from the cave to find themselves in the place they had foreseen in their dreams. It was a place surrounded by molten lava and towering canyons. Although at any other time Vanille would have found herself captivated by the scenery, at that moment she could not care less. She was about to betray her soul mate, just at the moment when everything mattered most. Would Fang turn into a Cie'th, too, because of what Vanille was about to do? She thought to herself, still hoping to discover an overlooked alternative. Her head felt hot and dizzy, all the redhead could do was follow shyly behind the warrior and hope that something would happen, something would influence her, to make what she had to do easier, but it did not. Nothing happened at all.

"What do you think we have to do?" Fang asked, spinning on her heel so that she could glance back at Vanille for reassurance, as she stood at the spot they saw her transform into the beast. In that vision, her L'Cie mark had been burning bright pink, aflame with passion and anger. Even in the dream, both girls had felt the hate and betrayal in the moment; the sheer pain it released a long with it was surely devastating.

"Fang..." Vanille said, fighting back tears, "I can't do this!" Her words projected across the canyon, painful and unbearable to Fang. Just after she had managed to convince herself that they could do it together, the redhead was having second thoughts. She was right though – the warrior shook her head in anger and despair – she could not do it.

She fell to Fang's side, pulling angrily at her grasp so that she would stop what she was doing and think for a moment. Perhaps neither of them needed to assume the terrible monster's form; perhaps there was a hidden meaning behind what they had witnessed. She had to believe it; she knew it would tear the warrior apart if she stopped for a moment to think about what their focus meant for the rest of the world. Cocoon would damage Pulse, as it fell from its height in the sky.

"I understand," she gritted her teeth, as her brand glowed bright pink, just as they expected, "maybe this is your focus," she laughed, allowing the power to consume her soul. She thrust a hand over the scorching mark, collapsing to her knees, weak from the intense pain pulsing through the entirety of her body.

"I-I'm so sorry!" Vanille's eyes streamed with tears, unable to watch as the woman she loved transform into a fit of fire, birthing a horrendous creature, of which only the cruel Fal'Cie could spawn.

Losing her to the power far greater than anything she could harness, Fang thrust into the air, as she became the beast named Ragnarok, her claws thrust out before her, aimed towards the sinister outer casing of the devil planet. Although the strength was overwhelming, it felt hollow compared to the burning pain that had coursed through her being, as she transformed into it. She was empty without Vanille to assume the beast, and despite all of the Fal'Cie's magnificent power, all manufactured into her soul, she could not crack Cocoon's shell with her claws. Before she knew it, she was falling from the sky, back down to the ruins of Pulse beneath her, turning into crystal as the beast's form had left her.

**THE END**

**

* * *

A/N:** I hoped this chapter would be a lil longer, but I really couldn't draw anything else out. I'm not used to writing smut, so it's probs rly rubbish, but I really liked the idea I had with it so... ya. Thanks for all teh really nice reviews, helped me through writers block 3, and I really hope everyone enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. BYEE**  
**


End file.
